On 28 January 2016, the Data Protection Commissioner, Helen Dixon, announced at the eighth annual national data protection conference, a plan to audit those insurance companies who use telematics boxes to assess the risk of car drivers. Certain insurers have been offering premium discounts to drivers who consent to installing telematics boxes in their cars.

According to the Commissioner, the data can be used to create an “extremely detailed personal profile” of the driver and this raises data protection concerns. The Commissioner will audit those insurance firms that are using telematics boxes to ensure that they are in full compliance with data protection law and that drivers are being fully informed of what data is being collected, how it will be used and what third parties it may be transferred to and under what circumstances.